This invention relates, in general, to the field of glove design and, more particularly, to an improved sports glove which is adapted to provide an especially strong bond between the palm and/or fingers of the glove and the club, racket or other piece of sports equipment which the athlete is holding or pulling or pushing. The improved anti-slip glove utilizes a thermoplastic film panel, incorporated into the glove's design at key pressure points, which is selected to exhibit a strong physical bond with the rubber, plastic, leather or other composite materials used to manufacture the hand grips that are a part of hand-held sporting equipment. The anti-slip panel may be attached to the palm and fingers of the glove or made an integral part of the glove. When made an integral part of the glove's design and manufacture, the improved anti-slip glove may also incorporate a non-slip backing material positioned between the wearers hand and the rear surface of the thermoplastic film panel, to provide a tight coupling between the surface of the wearers hand and the body of the glove to reduce slippage of the hand within the glove.
In many activities gloves are worn to protect the wearers hands from injury. Gloves are also frequently worn to keep a wearers hands from slipping on the item being pulled, pushed or held. This is especially true when wearer is looking for `positive traction` against an otherwise potentially slippery object. One area where gloves have been worn for both protection as well as increased security of contact is the field of sporting gloves.
Baseball, bicycling, handball, tennis and weight lifting are all sports where at least one glove is frequently worn by an athlete, usually not for protection against the elements, but for protection against shock and vibration and to provide a surer grip on the bat, racket or other object being held. In addition, the sport of golf is also an excellent example of a sport where the use of a glove has become so widespread that the golf glove is accepted almost universally as a necessary piece of sporting equipment.
A review of any popular golfing magazine will illustrate the degree to which the golf glove has become a standard accessory. It is almost impossible to find a photograph or illustration of a golfer not wearing a golf glove. In addition, a trip to any sporting goods store will provide an opportunity to examine a wide range of golf gloves manufactured in many different styles incorporating many different materials.
The reason for this widespread use is the recognized critical importance surrounding the way a golf club is held and exactly how it is swung. Since even a small correction in the manner in which a player holds his or her club may dramatically improve shot distance and accuracy, a great deal of attention is paid to the mechanics of holding a golf club. However, while it is well understood that a properly designed golf glove may provides a stable interface between the players hand and the golf club grip, and while many different golf gloves are currently available, they are all, fundamentally, the same, being constructed of leather or vinyl and designed to provide a sure, secure, dry grip on the club's handle.
At the same time that golf glove design has continued apace, parallel efforts have been put into experimentation with the composition of materials used to create a golf club's grip. Today, every major golf club manufacturer has devoted a great deal of research and development into the design and production of composite grips. These modern grips are no longer made of hard smooth leather, but are comprised of advanced rubber and polymer mixtures, which are designed to provide added cushioning to the grip area while also yielding surer contact with the golfers hands and, thereby, increased club control.
Unfortunately, though golf club grips have benefited from these advanced materials advances, there has, to date, not yet been developed an improved golf glove which is specifically designed to take advantage of the composite rubber materials used in modern golf club grips in order to provide a golf glove which is especially adapted to exhibit exceptional mating characteristics when used in conjunction with modern rubber composite rubber grips.
Accordingly, it has been determined that the need exists for an improved anti-slip glove which may be employed as a golf glove, and which is especially adapted to provide a strong bond between the wearers hand and the composite material used to fabricate a modern golf club grip.